Kitchen Call: Barking dogs and whistling oysters

Friday

Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AMFeb 27, 2009 at 5:24 AM

With such a joyfully eccentric menu, the restaurant’s name, The Barking Dog, stands out. Isn’t it obvious to pair a dog with barking? Here in New England, we’re more creative. Or outlandish. We like The Barking Crab on Boston’s waterfront. Or The Whistling Oyster on the Maine coast.

Linda Bassett

NEW YORK CITY: A bright young woman called Jac, reveling in her newly-landed Manhattan life, claims that this city throws a huge party every weekend called Brunch, and everyone’s invited. She has no idea, nor should she much care, that her dewy philosophy is in direct conflict with a cynical former chef who hates the very mention of the meal, detests the people who eat it, loathes the smell of scrambling eggs, and believes that, in spite of the smoked salmon, sliced roast beef, and rarely found caviar kernels, brunch is just breakfast overpriced. (His contempt may be attributed to his habit of hitting the after-hours bars until dawn before his Sunday morning kitchen shift.)

One Upper East Side brunch favorite, where Sunday morning and early afternoon lines snake long down the block and nobody seems to mind — even those waiting with dogs who are invited to brunch and every other meal — is called The Barking Dog. Maybe it’s the fun of eating out where an episode of “Sex and the City” was shot. More likely, it’s because the portions are hefty, the prices moderate, and the food delicious.

Here, the menu offerings are just slightly askew of the expected. Frittatas, a cross between an omelet and a pizza, head up the menu. Omelets appear too, but labeled with a French-ified spelling — omelette — and filled with shrimp, smoked salmon and corn. On the subject of French, there’s that toast, made with challah instead of plain sliced bread. And chocolate chip pancakes include dried cherries stirred into the batter. Wraps are stuffed with Buffalo chicken and blue cheese. The conventional New York smoked salmon and bagel plate hides in the sandwich section of the menu, the kitchen more interested in showing off its more creative side.

With such a joyfully eccentric menu, the restaurant’s name, The Barking Dog, stands out. Isn’t it obvious to pair a dog with barking? Here in New England, we’re more creative. Or outlandish. We like The Barking Crab on Boston’s waterfront. Or The Whistling Oyster on the Maine coast. Neither do we mind painting an animal an unusual color. For instance, The Black Lobster right here on the North Shore. Other apply a color never imagined in nature to a fruit or vegetable, like The Blue Strawberry, the former Portsmouth, N.H. dining spot. But then, on Martha’s Vineyard there’s The Black Dog, where the friendly lab, the dog of 10,000 t-shirts, appears in a rather unimaginative coat. Interestingly this island eatery is particularly popular with summer visitors from the island of Manhattan.

For an imaginative brunch at home, I found some unusual recipes which I adapted for ease, from “Buogiorno: Breakfast and Brunch Italian Style” by Norman Kolpas. As all these dishes are richly flavored; the best go-with fruit is citrus. If you can find them, try blood oranges — orange on the outside, red on the inside. Slice or section them and top with honey warmed with lemon juice or a sprinkling of fresh mint.

EASY PARMESAN-MASCARPONE SCRAMBLED EGGS
Makes 6 servings

Mascarpone, Italian cream cheese, is available in the cheese section of most major supermarkets. Be sure that the parmesan is finely grated and use a saucepan rather than a skillet to make this recipe work.

This recipe turns oatmeal on its head, substituting cornmeal, an Italian cooking staple, for the oats. Some cooks use a wooden spoon for stirring this while cooking, but I find that a whisk keeps the results lump-free.

2. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a simmer. Add salt. Very slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring continuously, until polenta is thick and smooth. This takes 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and butter.

3. Spoon polenta into bowls; top with walnuts and a bit of butter. Pass maple syrup, milk and additional walnuts to add to taste.

SAUSAGES WITH GRAPES
Makes 8 servings

Kolpas does these on top of the stove, but I prefer cooking them in the oven so I can concentrate on the eggs. Flat-leaf parsley, a.k.a. Italian parsley, is more flavorful than the curly variety.